With more and more people moving their businesses online, cyber security is very important.
Although it’s impossible to protect against every eventuality, here are a few safeguards that can be implemented.
ALWAYS
- Review beneficiary details of payment before you approve transactions, especially those with new or changed information
- Check account activity on a regular basis for any suspicious transactions
- Set up customized automatic accounts alerts to know when certain activities take place
- Set payment limits at account and employee levels based on payment trends and history
- Verify whom you’re communicating with and know what information can be shared
- Stop any online session that makes you uncomfortable
- Avoid email usage for confidential or sensitive information
- Create and update strong passwords (We recommend LastPass for this!)
- Log off inactive devices and lock your workstation when you’re away
- Minimize personal web-surfing on your business devices
- Use protected Wi-Fi networks that you trust
- Make sure your systems are protected by current and effective anti-virus software
NEVER
- Respond to payment instructions received by email or phone without first validating the instructions by telephone or in person
- Open an email, click a link in an email or open an email attachment without first validating the source
- Share confidential information, including log-in credentials and account numbers
- Respond to pop-ups or unsolicited phone calls asking you to re-submit your log-in information or that of another user
- Allow co-workers to log-in to your machine or use your log-in credentials
- Send work information to personal email accounts
- Enter personal information in an email or text message
- Describe your job on personal social media accounts
CYBER SECURITY & CYBER FRAUD: TIPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR ASSETS
Small businesses can reduce the risk of losses due to cyber fraud by understanding the three most common methods cyber criminals use:
SOCIAL ENGINEERING
Interactions with a cybercriminal such as a phone call, email or conversation that trick a user into sharing sensitive information.
PHISHING
A cybercriminal contacts a user by email or phone and obtains the user’s security credentials, permitting the cybercriminal to act on behalf of the user.
Lindsey is an Ontraport Certified Consultant and founder of Smartify My Biz. She’s a digital strategist devoted to transforming and streamlining businesses using marketing and sales automation. Her goal? More profit for your pocket plus a business that runs like a well-oiled machine.